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Homemade Dog Treats, with Pumpkin and Cat Nip!

Posted on by Mindie

We love our dog, Heidi the Homestead Hound. She was a rescue dog, and in her short life before we got her, she had been neglected, injured and traveled hundreds of miles to join our family. She came with NO manners, which is not good for a 100+ pound puppy. And her stress level, don’t even get me started. Let just say she is special.

Because I love her, I want to make sure her treats (which we use to teach her some manners) to be just as special as she is. Store bought dog biscuits can have so many unhealthy things in them. I wanted to give Heidi something tailored for her, that I knew would not only be healthy for her, but helpful too.

That is when I decided to get a little creative with my ingredients. Did you know that pumpkin is high in fiber? It is and it will help keep your puppy “regular.” And did you know cat nip isn’t just for kitties? I’m serious about putting cat nip in my dog biscuits, because it helps with nervousness and will sooth a troubled tummy as well. And let’s face it, Heidi has some nervousness from time to time. She can get wound tighter than a top! I can tell you that the cat nip in these biscuits helps calm her down time and again.

 

So what goes into these magical biscuits you ask, other then the pumpkin and cat nip? Just some good for you, natural type ingredients! And best of all, no dairy!! Why is dairy not good for dogs? Well the majority of dogs are lactose intolerant. Mild intolerance can lead to a gassy pup, but for dogs who are severely intolerant, it can lead to vomiting and diarrhea. And no dog owner want to have to deal with that resulting mess!

List of Ingredients

1 large egg
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon cat nip

How to Cook

Preheat your over to 350 degrees.

Combine all of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Your dough will be tacky, this is normal. Place your dough in the fridge (just like when you make sugar cookies) to firm up. When it is time to roll the dough out and cut the shapes, be liberal when flouring your surface and rolling pin.

Place cut out shapes on a lightly (very lightly) greased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes. Biscuits will be firm, but not rock hard. Who wants to eat a rock hard biscuit anyway!?!?

Store biscuits in a zip lock or air tight container in the fridge.


Do you think she likes them!?!? Her tongue is already going and it hasn’t even got to her mouth yet!

*** These can be made into cats size treats as well. The pumpkin is fabulous for fighting fur balls!! ***

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47 thoughts on “Homemade Dog Treats, with Pumpkin and Cat Nip!”

  1. I make treats for our dog, Snoopy, that have peanut butter in them. And, boy, does he love peanut butter! I will try these out though. where do you get the cat nip? I need to try growing that in my green house!

    1. Tracy, I just buy the cat nip dried at the store. I was never good at growing it LOL Our Heidi loves peanut butter too. She will stand in the kitchen when I make the country kids PBJs hoping that I will share some. And of course, I always do. LOL

    2. My dogs love peanut butter, that is how they get their meds when they have to take them. I decided to just give them their very own jar of peanut butter, it even says Dogs on it. Lol And yes, there was an incident of the ex eating the dogs PB and wondering why it had a couple of dog hairs in it (not sure myself)! Yes, I was lmao…..the look on his face was priceless!!!

  6. Thank you for joining us this last weekend on #PureBlogLove recipe and DIY craft Link Party! I hope to see you this Thursday night again, the party starts at 8 pm EST and runs all weekend! I can't wait to see what you're cooking up next!
    XoXo
    Heidy L. McCallum

  8. I am always looking for recipes for Missy! I can't wait to try this one. I know she will LOVE IT! Thank you for linkig up with #FoodieFridays! I hope you link up with us again this week.

  9. How fun! I've never made dog treats before but might have to after seein how easy they are. Thanks for sharing with us at Simple Lives Thursday; hope to see you again this week.

  10. Great post! I love the idea of using catnip to calm a dog… if only I had known about such things when I had *my* super-duper crazy hound!
    I was actually going to whip up a bunch of these this afternoon… but it got away from me! Still, I chose this post as my featured post from the From the Farm Blog Hop this week! I hope you'll be back to party with us this week!
    ~ Christine | Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers

    1. It's funny, when we first got her, I hated her LOL She chewed everything and had so many issues. But with time, training and a lot of love, she is my bestest friend 🙂

  22. Sounds like Heidi's one lucky dog! I didn't know about catnip making dogs calmer. Interesting. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing this recipe on Five Friday Finds! I'm looking forward checking out your recipe this week. 🙂

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